Tobacco feeding apparatus



April 5, 1938. D. w. MOLINS 2,

TOBACCO FEEDING APPARATUS Filed June 3, 193'? 4 Sheets-Sheet l April 5, 1938. D. w. MOLINS 2,113,514

TOBACCO FEEDING APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 fflwnior ma i/1% E3 Qolifmms-o A ril-5, 1938. D w MQ| |N$ 2,113,514

TOBACCO FEEDING APPARATUS Filed June 3, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fnvenior D (,1). moi/mus n-rrys A ril 5, 1938, D. w. MOLINS TOBACCO FEEDING APPARATUS Filed June 3, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet4 7 31mm EDS mblu'i lr r Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES TOBACCO FEEDING APPARATUS Desmond Walter Molins, Deptford, London, England, assignor to Molins Machine Company, Limited, London, England Application June 3, 1937, Serial No. 146,295 In Great Britain April 9, 1936 4 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or re lating to tobacco feeding apparatus.

According to the present invention there is provided in a tobacco feeding apparatus, a downwardly directed passage in which tobacco is built up endwise, the passage having an inlet and an outlet at the lower end of the passage, means to direct tobacco into the passage and a transfer element located at the outlet of the passage to receive the tobacco as the latter issues from the passage, said passage having opposed surfaces movable towards and away from one another and having components of movement in the direction of movement of the tobacco through the passage at that time when the surfaces are closest together to assist in feeding the tobacco towards the transfer element.

The means to direct the tobacco into the passage is arranged to operate in a manner such that the tobacco is directed into the passage at a speed greater than that at which it issues from the passage, whereby the tobacco is at least partly built up by impact of the tobacco particles directed against that end of the tobacco in said passage.

According to a further form of the invention there is provided a tobacco feeding apparatus comprising a downwardly directed passage having a transfer element located at its lower and outlet end and having opposed surfaces, parallel to or substantially parallel to one another and movable towards and away from one another and having components of movement in the direction of movement. of the tobacco through the passage at the time when the surfaces are closest together to assist in feeding the tobacco towards the transfer element, means to direct tobacco into the passage at a greater speed than it is removed from the passage by the transfer element in such at least partly due to the change of momentum of the tobacco particles when the speed of the tobacco in said passage is reduced to a speed below that at which the tobacco is fed into the passage, without the application of any positive pressure or ramming action to the tobacco, and

the tobacco in said passage is brought to a thickness which is equal to the minimum distance between the said opposed surfaces.

The tobacco directed into the passage is preferably at all points or substantially at all points below the desired mass (e. g., in the form of substantially separate shreds or particles of tobacco). The means to direct the tobacco into the passage 55 may be wholly external of the passage.

manner that tobacco is compacted in the passage The movable surface may be supported for movement in closed paths (e. g., curved closed paths by means of rotatable cranks) in a manner such that throughout their movement the surfaces are parallel to one another and parallel to their initial positions.

The term desired mass where used herein and in the appended claims means the weight or substantially the weight per unit of superficial area which it is desired that thecarpet shall have.

The means to direct the tobacco into the passage at a high speed may comprise a fast moving surface (e. g., a rotating carded or pronged roller operative to pick tobacco from a conveyor and to direct the tobacco into the passage in the form of a shower).

The tobacco directed into the passage may be moved towards the passage by a fast moving endless conveyor. The tobacco may be formed as a stream on the surface of the conveyor, such stream being at all points or at substantially all points below the desired mass (e. g., in the form of substantially separate shreds or particles of tobacco).

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagranunatic side elevation of a tobacco feeding mechanism.

Figure 2 shows a detail of Figure 1 drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a view of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrow 3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a modified form of tobacco feeding apparatus.

Like reference numerals referto like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, tobacco is placed in a hopper 5 and the mass in the hopper 5 is replenished at predetermined intervals from a store container 6 by means of a pivoted flap 1. A pronged element 8 is arranged between the hopper 5 and the store container 6 and is arranged to regulate the quantity of tobacco which is supplied to the hopper 5 by the pivoted flap 1. The mass of tobacco in the hopper 5 is supported by a carded feeding roller 9 which presses the mass of tobacco towards the surface of a carded combing roller 10, the carding of which engages with the mass of tobacco and extracts a quantity therefrom. The tobacco extracted from the mass by the carding of the combing roller 10 is carried upwardly beneath an oscillating rake H which regulates the quantity of tobacco on the surface of the roller I and the tobacco is then passed beneath a brushing roller [2 which removes surplus tobacco from the surface of the roller H].

In the bight formed between the adjacent surfaces of the rollers l0 and l2 a reserve of tobacco is formed by the excess of tobacco which is swept back by the roller l2, and this reserve of tobacco is trimmed and kept in a substantially free condition by the oscillations of the rake II and is periodically pressed against the surface of the roller ID by a pressing member I3.

After passing the brushing roller [2 the tobacco on the surface of the roller I0 is carried beneath a comb 4 which presses the tobacco into the carding of the roller l0, and a fast rotating pronged or carded roller l5 more commonly known as a picker roller picks small quantities of tobacco from the surface of the roller ID and directs them downwardly at a high speed into the inlet end of a downwardly directed passage 16. The passage l6 comprises opposed surfaces which are parallel to or substantially parallel to one another and are formed by the walls I! and I8 and two end walls formed by elements which project from one of the walls, for example, the wall I8 in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the wall from which they project and in a manner such that at all times the projecting elements provide end walls which together with the walls I! and I8 comprise a closed passage. When, as just described, the end walls project from one of the walls I! or IS, the end walls partake of the movement described below, of the wall from which they project. The opposed walls I! and I8 are supported by cranks I9, 2!], 2i and 22 which are rotated in a manner such that the walls I! and I8 are moved in curved closed paths towards and away from each other and when the walls are closest to one another they each have a component of movement in the direction in which the tobacco is moving through the passage and the walls therefore assist in feeding the tobacco towards a transfer element 23 which, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, impedes the movement of the tobacco in the passage I6. By reason of the fact that each of the walls I! and I8 is supportd by two rotating cranks in the manner shown, the movable surfaces are throughout their movement, parallel to one another and parallel to their initial positions.

The cranks I9, 20, 2! and 22 have a relatively small eccentricity. Thus for example, in some instances good results have been obtained with an eccentricity of between th of an inch and A; of an inch.

The transfer element 23 is slowly rotated, the speed of rotation being such that the tobacco is removed from the passage H3 at a much slower speed than the speed at which it is showered into the passage by the picker roller l5, which latter is wholly external of the passage 16. As above stated, the picker roller l5 directs into the passage !6 small quantities of tobacco which are picked from the surface of the roller Ill and the tobacco so picked is at all points or at substantially all points below the desired mass. The tobacco directed intothe passage by the picker roller I5 is in the form of a shower comprising a succession of substantially separate shreds or particles of tobacco. The picker roller l5 directs a sufiicient quantity of tobacco into the passage to form a carpet, and the tobacco is built up endwise in the passage from that end of the carpet which is nearest the inlet to the passage by a continuous succession of small quantities of tobacco and compacted in the passage at least partly due to the change of momentum of the tobacco particles when the speed of the tobacco in the passage is reduced to a speed below that at which the tobacco is fed into the passage and without the application of any positive pressure or ramming action to the tobacco, and by this means together with the movement of the walls I! and I8 the tobacco in the passage is brought to a thickness which is equal to the minimum distance between the opposed surfaces of the walls I! and IS. The speed of rotation of the picker roller l5 and the arrangement of the pins thereon is such that the tobacco taken from the roller I0 is directed continuously into the passage 15.

The tobacco as it issues from the outlet of the passage [6 is transferred by the transfer roller 23 over the surface of a concave guide 24, and a picking element 25 which rotates at a high speed is arranged to pick the tobacco from the edge of the concave guide 24 and to direct the tobacco so picked downwardly into the trough 26 of a cigarette making machine.

Referring to the modified construction shown in Figure 4,.the tobacco which is picked by the picker roller l5 is showered on to the surface of an endless conveyor 27 which moves the tobacco towards the passage Hi.

The tobacco delivered to the conveyor 21 by the picker I5 is arranged over the surface of the conveyor in a manner such that the tobacco is at all points or at substantially all points below the desired mass because the conveyor 27 is moving with a high surface speed so that the tobacco showered on to the surface of the conveyor by the picker roller 15 is formed as a very thin stream on the surface of the conveyor. In practice, in both the forms herein described, the tobacco is delivered to' the passage in the form of substantially separated shreds or particles.

In the modified construction the tobacco carried by the conveyor 21 is directed into the passage l6 by an endless moving surface I21 which is shown in Figure 4 as an endless band arranged to intercept the tobacco leaving the conveyor 21 and to direct the tobacco downwardly into the passage H5. The moving surface I21 has a high surface speed so as to direct the tobacco downwardly into the passage in a manner similar to that of the picker roller l5. It will, of course, be appreciated that the moving surface I21 may comprise a roller instead of the endless band shown in Figure 4 and in many-instances it will be more convenient to use a roller because of its greater simplicity.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In an apparatus for feeding shredded cigarette tobacco, a downwardly directed passage in which tobacco is built up endwise, the passage having an inlet and an outlet, the latter being at the lower end of the passage, means to direct tobacco into the passage and. a transfer element located at the outlet of the passage to receive the tobacco as the latter issues from the passage, said passage having opposed imperforate surfaces, means moving said opposed surfaces towards and away from one another with corresponding types of movement in which said opposed surfaces are at all times substantially parallel to one another, said opposed surfaces having components of movement in the direction of movement of the tobacco through the passage at that time when the surfaces are closest togather to assist in feeding the tobacco towards the transfer element.

2. An apparatus for feeding shredded cigarette tobacco, a downwardly directed passage in which tobacco is built up endwise, the passage having an inlet and an outlet, the latter being at the lower end of the passage, means to direct tobacco into the passage and a transfer element located at the outlet of the passage to receive the tobacco as the latter issues from the passage, said passage having opposed imperforate surfaces, means moving said opposed surfaces towards and away from one another and having components of movement in the direction of movement of the tobacco through the passage at that time when the surfaces are closest together to assist in feeding the tobacco towards the transfer element, said movable surfaces being supported by rotatable cranks for movement in similar but opposite orbital paths whereby throughout their movement the surfaces are parallel to one another and parallel to their initial positions.

3. Apparatus for feeding shredded cigarette tobacco comprising a downwardly directed passage having a transfer element located at its lower and outlet end and having opposed imperforate surfaces at all times substantially parallel to one another and supported for movement in similar but opposite orbital paths, means for moving the surfaces towards and away from one another and giving them components of movement in the direction of movement of the tobacco through the passage at the time when the surfaces are closest together to assist in feeding the tobacco towards the transfer element, means to direct tobacco into the passage at a greater speed than it is removed from the passage by the transfer element in such manner that tobacco is compacted in the passage at least partly due to the change of momentum of the tobacco particles when the speed of the tobacco in said passage is reduced to a speed below that at which the tobacco is fed into the passage, without the application of any positive pressure or ramming action to the tobacco, and the tobacco in said passage is brought to a thickness which is equal to the minimum distance between the said opposed surfaces.

4. In an apparatus for feeding shredded cigarette tobacco, a downwardly directed passage in which tobacco is builtup endwise, the passage having an inlet and an outlet, the latter being at the lower end of the passage, a fast moving surface wholly external of the passage to direct tobacco at a high speed downwardly in the form of substantially separate particles into the passage and a transfer element located at the outlet of the passage to receive the tobacco as the latter issues from the passage, said passage having opposed imperforate surfaces, means moving said opposed surfaces towards and away from one another with corresponding types of movement in which said opposed surfaces are at all times substantially parallel to one another, said opposed surfaces having components of movement in the direction of movement of the tobacco through the passage at that time when the surfaces are closest together to assist in feeding the tobacco towards the transfer element.

DESMOND WALTER MOLINS. 

